We decided to take the trip by floatplane from Derby to the Horizontal Falls situated in the Buccaneer Archipeligo. The day we were booked to fly out all the morning flights were cancelled due to low cloud. We flew out in the afternoon for the overnight tour. It was a nice smooth take off & flight however when we banked to come in for landing I must say I had my heart in my mouth. Somehow it does not feel right to be tipped at 90 deg looking at the water out the window.
The scenery on the way was pretty amazing. Leaving Derby we flew over miles of mud flats to the north. As we got closer to the coast the colours & patterns of the water flows were quite beautiful. Nearly like abstract works of art.
Flying above the Horizontal Falls we got an indication of the Archipeligo. There are over a thousand rugged islands in the area accessible by air or water.
The photo shows the two gaps where the massive tides form the waterfalls as the water rushes at low tide to escape through the outlets.
After landing we boarded the pontoons where the bar pontoon & houseboats are moored together. The houseboat is really modern, our cabin, small but comfortable with shared bathroom in the hall. There were two cruise boats & a private catamaran moored in the lagoon as well. Another couple took off from the rooftop helicopter pad. Talk about the life of the rich & famous? I felt like a movie star in such surroundings. One look in the mirror however, brought me back to earth!
After feeding the sharks from the pontoon we boarded the speedboats for the trip to the falls. The boats have three 200 horsepower motors powering away to take you for an exhilarating ride, pushing through the torrent of water rushing out between the cliffs. The drop was about 1. 5mts when we went through and this is the maximum they will take the boat through. The difference in water height between the bays can be up 5 mts.
Now as I have never been partial to more than the excitement of a merry go round, after being scarred for life by the Luna Park Big Dipper at age 9, I waved everybody off from the deck the following morning as they headed out for one more adrenalin rush through the falls. Call me a wimp? Yep, much rather a leisurely cruise, this girl wasnt built for speed!
We had a sunset drink around the bar before a BBQ dinner on the houseboat rooftop dining area. Not a bad way to spend the evening, on a pleasure boat moored in an isolated bay.
I still have to pinch myself occasionally to make sure this retired life is not a dream.
The staff were all young & some had done a couple of seasons at this offshore "resort", travelling overseas in the off season. This pontoon is home to one of the guys, the skipper on the speed boat. He has two tents set up in the back for his bedrooms. He prefers to live here than on the modern houseboat.
Surprisingly there are mosquitoes & also crocs in the area so you wouldn't want to have one too many at night.
Unfortunately the following day we awoke to lots of low cloud but the planes managed to get in through some breaks between cliffs & cloud.
It was interesting seeing the setup from the air after staying there. Lots of $$ involved here in infrastructure. The large cat was one of the many cruise boats that use the lagoon & facilities as part of their tour.
Our return flight was mostly over cloud banks so we missed seeing the islands of the Archipeligo on the homeward journey.
As we left the lagoon we were flying between craggy cliffs & cloud banks - nearly too much excitement in 24 hours for me. However it was beautiful anyway & I survived to tell the tale.
The sky was nice & clear coming back into Derby much to my relief even though the pilot assured me it was a "p.... of p..." flying through these clouds.
Surprising to see the town from the air & how it sits on a little peninsular of land surrounded by miles & miles of mudflats on two sides & ocean on the point.
Next stop - Broome - finally!
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